Traction-engine.



e C. HOUGHTON.

TRACTION ENGINE.

APPLIUATIOH NLE!) ou'r.a1.19\3.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

0. C. HOUGHTON.

TRATION ENGINE.

APPMGATION FILED 00T, a1, .1913.

' loss while negotiating turns.

Enron.

Gili-EY C. iOUGHTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, dSSICYlGR T0 BULJQCK TRACTOR CMPANY, OF CHICAGO. I-LLXNOIS, CORPORATION 5' LINOIS.

TRACTION-ENGINE Application led October 31, 1913,

11".;1 nl! wlw/fi. it may eminem:

lle it known that l. nLnr C. Honoirrox, :i eitizt-s'i ol" the United itlltates, and a resident olf the eity of Chicago, in the county of (lnolr. and Stute of Illinois, have invented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Trairtion-Engines; and l do hereby declare that the l'ollowing: description of my said inwntior. taken in connection with the ne mmipanying sheetsof drawings, forms a lull. fleur, and specific speoifieation, which ix ill enable others skilled in the art to which it epperteins to ineke and use the saine.

lvl y invention relates 'generally to iin*- rmeente in traction engines, and it con ts, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parte and details of con stroetiffm as hereinafter first fully eet forth and described and then pointed out in the oleinis.

ln the drawings already referred to,

whiigfli .serve to illustrate my said invention.

more fully, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved traction engine. Fig. 2 is a similar ele.l ion, partly in seetionin line O-U of Fig. 5, and Fig. is a plan thereof willi the power plant and other parts removed for salte of olearness of illustration.

Likeparts are designated by corresponding characterise-ind symbols of reference in all the figures of the drawings.

@ne gre-nt fault in treetion engines of the endless track type is the tremendous power When silveryingr from a straight course, there is caused a sltidding action of one or the other end traek chains, depending uponthe direction of vthe swerving movement," and also a d upon the ground of one of the chains. The 'power loss 'rom this alone often reduces the effective traetive force of the engine 'from to 30 per centr.. Again the stresses and reversal of stresses produced are abnormal and result in a frequent breakage of parts at inconvenient times.

The essence of my invention, therefore, resides in means to prevent this skdding action and drag of the endless track chains While executing a turning movement and 'the elimination of the abnormal stresses lerented thereby. Thus, to better understand n a traction engine composed preferably oi,

now feter to the drawings Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

Serial No. 798,473.

structurel beams :ind comprising, essentially, longitudinal side sills (5 and 6*' and n front connecting; beam 6b. Said freine may be bent up from n single beam as indicated in Fig. 3, or beam Gb may be riveted to sills 6 (la as may be desired. At the opposite or rear end el frame C there is securely fastened a cross beam GC, the ends of which project a considerable distance beyond the side sills t3 and t3, At the ends of the said beam are rigidly atteehed in a vertical plane, tubular trunnions l0() and 100s. At the lower ends of these trunnions are lips 101 and lill'a to which are riveted diagonal brasas 02 and i022, the opposite ends of which are similarly fastened to the under sides of sills 6 and (la, respectively. The object of these braces is to impart additional stillness to trunnions 100 and 100 to better resist undue stressesend strains.

Freely fitting the interior of the trunnions 10G and lOU and rotatable. therein, are shanks 103 und 103a of rearwardly bent which arejournaled trailing ground wheels l0? and-10W. Any preferred type of steen ing mechanism may be employed for the. wheels if a separate steering means is a desideratuin, but muy be dispensed with when the Steering is being aefomplished by varyingl the speed of the endless tracks, in whieh cese the trailing Wheels 107 will accommodate themselves to the lateral movein'entsef the rear end of the machine in the Usual easter-wheel fashion.

Upon the main frame C is located a power ,plant comprising an internal combustion motor M with its usual ifippurtenanees, such as gasolene and Watertanks O and P respectirel y. Shaft Q of said motor is connected with a transmission and difierential mecha.- nisni R and ll which may be of any preferred type of construction. Said trens-y mission is located in alinement with the longitudinal Center of the frame C, neer the front connecting beam 6b thereof, upon a transverse transmission sha-ft 108. which shaft is mounted in suitable journal hearings 109 and .109 fastened tothe side sills G fand 6 respectively.

Located under sills 6 and 6a, near the point of the longitudinal center of loading of `frame (l, are journal boxes 5 and 5a for the reception of s transverse shaft 3, which shaft 'Ls firmlyblheld from rotznin vininairllboxes y suita e pins msdn 't r t e same or otherwse.- This ,shalt prdilts an equal distance beyond side sills 6 and 6 land these ends are litted int/o'l suitable openings -n traction trucks B; collarsS and pins 9 on the ends of said shaft being employed to prevent the withdrawal of said trucks from said shaft ends. These trucks support the frame structure C and its load at about its longitudinal center of loading, the balance being slightly in favor of the rear end, where a certain proportion of the weight is borne by the trailer wheels 107 and 107, the proportion of such weight being only enough to prevent the frame C from tilting about the axis of the shaft 3.

Traction trucks B are provided with power receiving sprockets 19, which sprockets are in alinernent with sprockets 11() and 110 located on shaft 108, exteriorly of the sills 6 and 6'* of the frame C, as clearly seen in Figi. Trained over sprockets 110 and 110a andtheir respective power receiving sprockets 19 are link belts 111 and 111.,

v whereby power may be transmitted to said sprockets 19, their shafts 17, pinions 16, end less trackdrive sprockets 13, idler wheels 29, and endless track chains A, all as bestseen in Fi 1.

Centralizy of and embracing shaft 3, in alinernent With the longitudinal center line ot-frame C, is a U-shaped forging 112, between the open jaws of which is retained, by a pin 113, a rearwardly and downwardly extending drawbar 114, the free end of which is formed into a fork llihaving a pin 115, to which may be attached a suitable cable when the outfit is employed jor haulage. Near the outer end of this drawbar is pro vided a support therefor composed 'of angles 116 and 116 depending from sills 6 and 6 and a horizontal, transverse angle 116", which connects angles 116 and 116. It will now be observed that the drawbar 114 being swiveled in U-shaped forging 112,thesame may slide along angle 116b and a direct line pull will always be had from the said bar, even when the engine is turning a. corner. Ity is also to be recalled that the' drawbar being attached at a point in about the center of loading, no' undue stresses are set up in the frame'C under excessive tractive effort.

Embracing shaft 3 on either side' of U- shaped `forging 112 are heavy diagonal` .braces 117 and 117, h/eld in place by collars' 175 and 175, the free ends of which extend downwardly and outwardly to and embrace the inner ends of shafts 11 (located in the rear end of traction trucks B) adjacent hubs 11. These braces are rigidly maintained in position on these shafts and the object there of is to maintain trucks B in relative parallelisrn 'and yet permit a certain flexibility k:normaal which is the/axis of oscillation .for the trucks` ll. This being the case, and the fact that shaft lis as close as possible to shaft 3, it

"will be olvious that, no matter how great the 1 oscillation of the trucks B within 'practical limits, the variations of the center distances between shafts 108 and 17 will be almost imperceptible, so that there will be no tightenof chains 111 and 111* under any conditions of service. Tightening of chains means great friction and of power; loosening thereof means a. lop of the chains with the danger of jinnping from their sprockets and consequent breakage of admeent parts. ,By eliminating these serious faults, as I have, I produce an outfit of higher etliciency and greater lasting qualities than any with which I am acquainted.

To reduce the skidding and drag of the inner endless track chain when turning sharp corners, asnxostfrequently encountered on farm work, such as plowing, harvesting and the like, l provide certain means by which either one or the other end of both'of the traction trucks maybe bodily and simultaneously lifted from the ground as clearly seen in Fig. 2, whereby the turning movement ofl the vehicle is confined to only a. very small portion of the length of the endless track l chains, normally in contact with tlieground,

and the skidding and drag thereofjoracgiO cally eliminated. Thisimeans'l'consists' esn sentially of a transverse shaft 119"oscillat able in journal brackets 120 located on the underside of sills '6 and Adjacentsill ti its and exteriorly thereof. this shaft is provided with a securely fastened crank arm 121, from which depends a vertically slotted link 122, the slot 123 of which' embraces the inner end of shaft 11,asintlcated Fig. Q. i-rbive andbelow saidl shaft the said link is drilled for 'twoA pins and 125, which whenl Ldriven home closely Contact with the peripheryof the shaft;` -Llfhese pins 124,'and 125, whenggiemoved from the links permit shafts Rini; leu/n with latch devices, ,and a m, on said frame having means engaging sai@ lnnlz dvces.

3. In a traction engine,' main frame having a pnwsr :mans txron .nu .a transverse dead yaxle under the saine if-xxnfing beyqnd the sides if sani xfmne, traction trucks nscillaiably mounstad an theiopposte ends of said axle* manually operati-sd means locatedn Vsali frame msimultanqmsly elevate mie-of the fi'ee ends of both of said trucks, said means comprising a transverse shaft mounted under said main 'frame and ,having at each end a armfxed hereto, -a slotted plant and transmission' mams:

link dspending from each of said crank armsy onnecting with one end of each of said trucks, n. long operating level: with latch devims, a quadrant on vsaid frame haw ing mea-ns engaging said latch, devices, and means fr releasing said slotted links frm ,pgsftivs engagement with said truck 'lu testimon b wheijeof I have hereunto set md in this presence of two subscribing .ifSS.

ORLEY n 'HOUGHTON ln the pi'esenfofn W. HARDING, l WILLIAM Ov. STARK. 

